 
Papermoon
Member
Username: Papermoon
Post Number: 5
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, September 06, 2007 - 8:52 pm: |    |
Returning to the parking lot after visiting the aquarium and greenhouse to find the hubcaps on my baby blue 1969 Mustang had mysteriously disappeared . . .
(Message edited by Papermoon on September 06, 2007) |
Buyamerican
Member
Username: Buyamerican
Post Number: 164
Registered: 02-2007
| | Posted on Sunday, September 09, 2007 - 7:54 pm: | |
Thumbing through my AAA tourbook tonight I thought I'd look to see what was written about the Detroit area. I read a little paragraph on Belle Isle and was surprised to read "driving to the island after dark is not recommended". |
Frankg
Member
Username: Frankg
Post Number: 23
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Sunday, September 09, 2007 - 8:03 pm: | |
Thumbing through my AAA tourbook tonight I thought I'd look to see what was written about the Detroit area. I read a little paragraph on Belle Isle and was surprised to read "driving to the island after dark is not recommended".
--Sounds like that was written by somebody who lives in the suburbs and hasn't been to Belle Isle since 1960. |
Buyamerican
Member
Username: Buyamerican
Post Number: 165
Registered: 02-2007
| | Posted on Sunday, September 09, 2007 - 8:23 pm: | |
The island was nicer in 1960 than it is now...sorry to say. I was just surprised to see that AAA even wrote that. |
Kathinozarks
Member
Username: Kathinozarks
Post Number: 813
Registered: 11-2006
| | Posted on Sunday, September 09, 2007 - 9:19 pm: | |
Margaret, I remember something about a plane flying under the bridge 
Frankg, sad about your mom's uncle Sonny. Lets us know that kids will always be kids and we are just lucky that we made it so far. I have plenty of speeding automobile stories myself. Now I drive like at any minute the car is going to go out of control. 10 and 2 and 'get the big picture'. What an old woman.
Back to Belle Isle: What's up with the aquarium? Does anyone have an update? Thanks. |
Jt1
Member
Username: Jt1
Post Number: 10070
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Monday, September 10, 2007 - 8:23 am: | |
quote:1980-2007 aquarium shuts down, people trash Island, loud boom boxes disturb others peace, canoes are no more, fountain never runs, paved 10 acres for race
Nice onctribution. Of course some of your facts are wrong but you aren't one to let facts get in the way. |
Miss_cleo
Member
Username: Miss_cleo
Post Number: 869
Registered: 05-2005
| | Posted on Monday, September 10, 2007 - 8:31 am: | |
Funny how you try to tell me my memories are wrong. Nice try though. Bored much? going back to 8/26 just to quote little ole' me? I am flattered. lol! |
Jt1
Member
Username: Jt1
Post Number: 10072
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Monday, September 10, 2007 - 8:42 am: | |
First time I read this thread. When was the last time you were on Belle Isle? You are stating somethings as fact from 80-07 which are wrong.
Really I just wanted to point out how you are an idiot for pissing on a thread that was about positive memories. |
Eric_w
Member
Username: Eric_w
Post Number: 332
Registered: 02-2007
| | Posted on Monday, September 10, 2007 - 8:52 am: | |
Lots of them. the Wolverine 200 bike Marathon,the Hydroplane races,playing tennis there,skating and playing pond hockey. walking in the woods feeding the deer.Touring the aquarium and conservatory. the Dossin museum & many more.I wouldn't mind going over there again sometime. |
Kathinozarks
Member
Username: Kathinozarks
Post Number: 825
Registered: 11-2006
| | Posted on Monday, September 10, 2007 - 9:38 am: | |
Jt1 and Miss-Cleo,
I remember lovely times on Belle Isle when I was a kid in the 60's, early 70's. After that I remember driving around the island with friends being a bit nervous about the other people. Lots of trash, lots of loitering by cars, loud music(poor sound quality made it creepy). Say what you will, but I remember being scared. Time to go home.
It was almost like a dare to go to the island, especially at dusk.
Fast forward to this century: Visited the Aquarium and the greenhouse a couple of years ago and it brought back all the wonderful memories from childhood. Funny how the green tiles in the Aquarium are forever emblazoned in my memory. What a beautiful place.
As an adult I would not be fearful to be on Belle Isle. As a teenager in the 1970's/'80's I was.
So you see, you are both correct. Now go out there and have a good day - be a blessing to the world
I'm going to go out and paint over some graffiti in our park. |
Jt1
Member
Username: Jt1
Post Number: 10073
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Monday, September 10, 2007 - 9:54 am: | |
KAth - I agree with your post but Cleo is speaking about the years 80-07 which she has said in the past how long it has been since she's been on Belle Isle.
If she hasn't been there in years I take exception with her 'memories' or 'facts' about BI now. |
Kathinozarks
Member
Username: Kathinozarks
Post Number: 829
Registered: 11-2006
| | Posted on Monday, September 10, 2007 - 10:02 am: | |
Well, Cleo; I guess the gauntlet has been thrown. "Come To Belle Isle", make a new memory. |
Jt1
Member
Username: Jt1
Post Number: 10074
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Monday, September 10, 2007 - 10:03 am: | |
I agree. I'll even contribute some beer to the family BBQ. |
Margaret
Member
Username: Margaret
Post Number: 132
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Monday, September 10, 2007 - 1:57 pm: | |
one time my older brother went to Belle Isle to do some bird-watching and it turned out the Detroit Police were looking for some suspect who fit a similar description as my brother. so, there he was looking at birds and boom, wham, he gets "taken down" and eventually brought to my folks' house so they could "vouch" for him...OMG so much for peaceful traipsing around the woods on Belle Isle...anyhow, we sure used to love birdwatching on Belle Isle, in spite of it all...
thanks, Kath, I'm glad someone at least has a memory about that plane flying under the bridge. no one else remembers? sheesh bunch of young punks, huh? LOL... |
Margaret
Member
Username: Margaret
Post Number: 133
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Monday, September 10, 2007 - 2:00 pm: | |
oh, I think my older sister and her classmates from the Class of '66 at St. Ambrose High School pulled off a pretty good Belle Isle prank: they stole those turtles from the fountain? sound familiar, anyone? I guess those turtles were really heavy and they didn't know what to do with 'em once they swiped 'em....oh, good old high school graduation pranks! eventually they returned them, under the cover of dark during the wee hours...are those turtles still there? |
Jt1
Member
Username: Jt1
Post Number: 10077
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Monday, September 10, 2007 - 2:07 pm: | |
quote:oh, good old high school graduation pranks!
I would call that theft and destruction of property moreso than a prank.
Yes, the turtles are still there. |
Papermoon
Member
Username: Papermoon
Post Number: 6
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Monday, September 10, 2007 - 2:32 pm: | |
Maybe Margaret's sister knows where my hubcaps are! |
Jt1
Member
Username: Jt1
Post Number: 10083
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Monday, September 10, 2007 - 2:36 pm: | |
Depends upon who stole them and when. Seems to me that time and person differntiates between a crime and a prank. |
Cjs
Member
Username: Cjs
Post Number: 1
Registered: 08-2007
| | Posted on Monday, September 10, 2007 - 3:14 pm: | |
Gaehekwe - How do you know those are fallow deer and not white tails? They are very small for fallow deer. Fallow deer also have spots on their black coats. |
Margaret
Member
Username: Margaret
Post Number: 134
Registered: 06-2007
| | Posted on Monday, September 10, 2007 - 3:29 pm: | |
LOL, Papermoon, those very special hubcaps are no doubt part of her extensive collection, yeah right...
oh yesss, Jt1, you twit, my sister is a heavy-duty criminal, hahahaha. that's why she and her classmates went to so much trouble to put those turtles back exactly as they found them...
don't cast that first stone, watch it watch it. tssk tsssk |
Jt1
Member
Username: Jt1
Post Number: 10092
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Monday, September 10, 2007 - 3:38 pm: | |
quote:oh yesss, Jt1, you twit, my sister is a heavy-duty criminal, hahahaha. that's why she and her classmates went to so much trouble to put those turtles back exactly as they found them...
Nothing like resorting to name calling.
quote:don't cast that first stone, watch it watch it. tssk tsssk
What is meant by that? |
Elimarr
Member
Username: Elimarr
Post Number: 2
Registered: 09-2007
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 25, 2007 - 12:13 am: | |
Back to the "BELLE ISLE MEMORIES" thread. I remember (almost chronological order)...
The colored lights on the fountain, ice skating the canals, parties on Woodside Drive, the kite-ins (remember the streakers in the fountain?,) bike race (only night that camping was allowed,) the "ice-monster," getting busted for "parking," reggae in the band shell, the beach (water a LOT cleaner than you might think,) the bamboo grove & the nature trails (no one seemed to know about them,) the deer (sometimes the herd would be laying in the open grassy area by the hanging tree,) great conservatory (people had their weddings there in winter,) canoeing, the odometer of my car changing to 100,000 on the Douglas A. MacArthur bridge, more beach (a shooting at the bath house this day,) taking kids on the giant slide, and lots of photo ops at the Wishing Moon over the years.
I heard that Belle Isle was designed by the man who also designed Central Park in New York. If it can get a some TLC from the City, and people show a little civic pride to not leave their trash lying around, then Belle Isle will be a gem for future generations to enjoy. |
Kathinozarks
Member
Username: Kathinozarks
Post Number: 901
Registered: 11-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 25, 2007 - 12:18 am: | |
Welcome, Elimarr.
Nice memories, thanks for getting the thread back on track! When you mention the "ice monster", do you mean the huge ice 'tree' that was made every winter when they stacked Christmas trees and had that pipe spraying water over them? It looked like a huge ice tree.
My family has a number of pix of us in front of it. |
Elimarr
Member
Username: Elimarr
Post Number: 4
Registered: 09-2007
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 25, 2007 - 11:34 am: | |
Yes, exactly! The "ice monster" was a huge evergreen tree covered in ice. Don't know what year it began, who came up with the idea, or if they still have it. (My visits are now in the summer; and it is a bit of coincidence to get a welcome from the Ozarks...since I moved from Motown, but now live in the MO-state.) |
Kathinozarks
Member
Username: Kathinozarks
Post Number: 902
Registered: 11-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 25, 2007 - 11:52 am: | |
We are about a half hour from the Ark/Mo line. I've become much friendlier since moving here. Nah, not really, I've always been friendly.
I remember going to the island every Sunday or so with grandparents and mom and watching it grow and become increasingly frozen. If it was a mild winter, we kids would worry like heck that it wouldn't totally freeze. Sad-ish when it started to melt ever year.
Did you feed the ducks by the Boat Club? Big highlight of our Sunday after church trips to the Isle. |
Esteban
Member
Username: Esteban
Post Number: 67
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Friday, September 28, 2007 - 8:24 am: | |
The state of Belle Isle is a perfect litmus for the city as a whole. Small areas have been renovated; a huge concrete slab for the Grand Prix, a Nature Center that is so boring it is almost painful to visit. A Boat Club so dilapidated every visitor can see the administration has serious priority issues.
A forgotten, overgrown zoo containing imprisoned, forgotten, sterilized deer. Michigan's only, and America's oldest Aquarium - closed.
Every out-of-town visitor who comes to Belle Isle can plainly see what losers we are. Might it not be better to close down the island altogether?
Look to an administration utterly incapable of being proactive; supporters of the various dilapidated island institutions wait at the Mayor's office pleasure - and wait, and wait and wait, until they eventually go away. But then again, Detroit can afford to squander such resources, can it not? |
Michmeister
Member
Username: Michmeister
Post Number: 250
Registered: 10-2006
| | Posted on Friday, September 28, 2007 - 1:36 pm: | |
My favorite memories are of driving out in the middle of the night in the late seventies/early eighties all alone, sitting on the shore listening to the waves gently lapping on the beach, contemplating what to do with my young life. Later showing my wife the island with the summer moon rising golden and being the biggest moon she had ever seen in her life. Belle Isle will forever be one of my dearest friends. |
Detroitrulez
Member
Username: Detroitrulez
Post Number: 438
Registered: 12-2006
| | Posted on Friday, September 28, 2007 - 1:44 pm: | |
firing up a big fat one....then heading over to HJ's for who knows what. |
Chuckjav
Member
Username: Chuckjav
Post Number: 102
Registered: 09-2007
| | Posted on Friday, September 28, 2007 - 1:50 pm: | |
Summer of 1996 - One serious Hootenanny, Shin-Dig, and Hullabaloo of a 20-Year Reunion for the 1976 Graduating Class of Good Old Mackenzie High School.
GO STAGS! |
Elimarr
Member
Username: Elimarr
Post Number: 6
Registered: 09-2007
| | Posted on Friday, September 28, 2007 - 2:04 pm: | |
Seagrams's, over in Canada, had that giant sign all lit up in red -- very visible from The Island back in the day. Night that is.
What was that tire plant that used to be at the foot of Jefferson? Was it Uniroyal? Were those smokestacks called the "seven sisters" or am I thinking of something else? |